FIRST LOOK: The News in Brief, December 9, 2003

DOMESTIC DISTURBANCE: Atlanta police considering pressing charges against Bobby Brown after they were summoned to the home he shares with wife Whitney Houston on a domestic violence call last weekend. Houston told police Brown hit her in the face during an argument, bruising her cheek and cutting her lip, according to Atlanta media reports. Brown reportedly left for the airport shortly after the dispute to catch a flight for California.

OUCH: Ozzy Osbourne on a ventilator in intensive care following emergency surgery. The rocker, injured in an all-terrain vehicle accident Monday, suffered eight broken ribs, a broken collarbone and a broken vertebra in his neck. The injuries were not life-threatening, according to his publicist.

INVESTIGATION TERMINATED: Arnold Schwarzenegger deciding he will no longer be hiring a private investigator to look into the sexual harassment allegations against him, after concluding that there was "very little point to the investigation," spokesman Rob Stutzman told the Los Angeles Times.

IN COURT: A woman who accused Arnold Schwarzenegger of groping her suing the governor and his campaign staff for smearing her as a convicted felon after she came forward with her claim. Schwarzenegger's staff told reporters that the woman had a lengthy criminal record; in reality she has never been charged with a crime.

THEY'RE BACK: The Los Angeles Film Critics Association reinstating its awards ceremony now that a federal judge has lifted the hotly disputed screener ban. The group, which canceled the awards in protest of the ban, has not set a new date for the awards, which were originally scheduled for this weekend.

TO SEND OR NOT TO SEND? Warner Brothers, Disney and Universal announcing they'll stick to Oscar screener ban and send tapes only to voting members of the Academy despite a court ruling to change that policy, reports Variety.

GORY DETAILS: Lana Clarkson, the women Phil Spector is charged with murdering, accompanied Spector home from a nightclub for a "sexual encounter," according to search warrants obtained by Celebrity Justice. Police found Clarkson "unresponsive" with a "gunshot wound to the head" and her broken teeth scattered about the foyer of Spector's house. He has pleaded innocent to the charges and is due back in court January 23.

AHOY, MATEY: Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl selling 11 million DVD and VHS units in its first week on store shelves, making it the best-selling live-action movie in history.

HORRIFYING: Self-proclaimed fright fanatics Rob Zombie and Steve Niles announcing the creation of Creep Entertainment International, a horror-inspired production company. Zombie and Niles plan to develop horror-based projects under the shingle, including comic books, movies, videogames, books and music.

FUNKY BUST: George Clinton, the colorful Parliament-Funkadelic founder, arrested early Saturday in Tallahassee and charged with possession of cocaine and drug paraphernalia. The 62-year-old singer spent less than an hour in County Jail before posting bail.

FUNKING ILLEGAL: Clinton's lawyer claiming that his client was illegally searched before the arrest; says he will enter an innocent plea Wednesday morning.

MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING? Los Angeles police and child welfare officials concluding earlier this year that child abuse allegations against Michael Jackson were "unfounded" according to an internal government memo uncovered by The Smoking Gun.

GOTTA TO BE SETTLING SOMETHING: Four members of the Jackson 5--excluding Michael Jackson--agreeing to settle two civil lawsuits for failing to credit a music producer and R&B group for two 1990s compilation albums.

WASN'T ME: Glen Campbell pleading innocent Tuesday to a felony aggravated assault charge for allegedly kneeing an officer last month after a hit-and-run collision near his Arizona home.

HE'S BACK: Jerry Seinfeld getting back into the biz with his first major project since Seinfeld folded in 1998. The funnyman will write, produce and star in Bee Movie, a CGI-animated feature for DreamWorks.

THEY DID?: The New York Post and London's Sun tabloid reporting that Gwyneth Paltrow and rocker beau Chris Martin tied the knot Friday in a 10-minute private ceremony in California after applying for a marriage license in Santa Barbara County. The news follows the couple's announcement that Paltrow is pregnant with their first child.

AVERAGE JASON? Average Joe's Melana Scantlin choosing the not so average Jason as her beau on last night's NBC season finale. The next installment debuts January 5.

BACHELOR ONCE MORE: Andrew Firestone of The Bachelor and designated fiancée Jen Schefft announcing that they have broken up. Firestone describes the split as "totally amicable."

FACE THE MUSIC: Great White's tour manager and the owners of a nightclub where 100 people died in a fire last February were indicted on involuntary manslaughter charges Tuesday. The band was not charged.

CODA: Famed Cuban pianist Ruben Gonzalez, who played with the Buena Vista Social Club band in the '90s, died Monday at the age of 84. A cause of death was not revealed.

SIMPLE STUFF: Fox adding an extra episode of The Simple Life December 17, which shows Paris and Nicole herding cattle

ROCK AND JOCKS: MTV tapped to produce the halftime show during Super Bowl XXXVIII at Reliant Stadium in Houston. CBS will air the game February 1.

HOLIDAY SMACKDOWN: WWE Smackdown! sending Vince McMahon, Big Show, Torrie Wilson and Sable, among others, to Iraq and Kuwait for a special holiday smackdown episode scheduled to air Christmas Day. Santa will also be in attendance.

OFF THE BEAT: ABC cutting back on its order for 10-8 from 22 episodes to just 15 while an order for midseason laffer The Big House was slashed from 13 episodes to 6, reports Variety.

MORE JIMMY: ABC renewing its late-night talk show, Jimmy Kimmel Live featuring comedian Jimmy Kimmel, through the 2004-2005 season.

HAMMER TIME: MC Hammer inking a deal with the WB to develop a sitcom based on his life after he left the rap scene in 1997, reports the Hollywood Reporter.

TO THE TOONS: Lisa Kudrow lending her voice to an untitled animated pilot being considered at Fox. She plays the mother of a family whose routine is thrown out of whack when their uncle moves in.